In what appears to be the first Oscar announcement so far, Deadline is reporting that Algeria has selected Mounia Meddour’s debut feature  Papicha as its candidate for nomination in the newly renamed International Feature Film category of the 2020 Oscars.

Algeria, 1990s – Nedjma is a free-spirited and independent young student. She refuses to allow the tragic events of the Algerian Civil War keep her from experiencing a normal young woman’s life. She dreams of becoming a fashion designer, goes to university, and sneaks out at night to dance her sorrows away with her friend Wassila. Nedjma embraces life with open arms, but as the social climate becomes more conservative, she rejects the new bans set by the radicals and decides to fight for her freedom and independence by putting on a fashion show. During her personal journey of resistance, Nedjma will discover that the celebration of life is tragically often to be paid for in death.

Algeria has previously received four Oscar nominations in the category and won in 1969 for Costa Gavras’ Z.